Artificial honeycomb.



A. C. CALKINS & G. M. MACDONALD.

ARTIFICIAL HONBYCOMB.

APPLICATION rlLED 111111.25, 1912.

1,05 1,830. Patented M128, 1913. zag. a

7 6 g j/ Jv298;@

/0 o /0/ Fw' 5f D0@ 1 Jg" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT c. cALxINs, or ALTADENA, AND GEORGE M. MMDONALD; or SAN BERNARDINO,

CALIFORNIA.

ARTIFICIAL HONEYCOMB.

Specication of Letters Patent.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that we, ALBEn'r C. CALKINs and GEORGE M. MACDONALD, both citizens of the United States, the former residing at Altadena, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, vand the latter residing at San Bernardino, in the county of San Bernardino and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Artificial Honeycombs, of which lthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to artificial honeycombs made of metal. or other material adapted to be coated with wax, so that bees may store their honey without the labor of buildingthe comb and from Whlch material the wax may be recovered by meltlng, by solution or otherwise. y

An object of the invention is to provide a honeycomb of this character which W1ll be cheap and easy to manufacture, lthat can be easily and completely cleaned andsterilized with minimum expense oftime, labor and material and from which the honey can be separated with superior ease4 and conve-nience land without chang'in the physical or chemical properties or c aracter of the honey, and with minimum change. of the comb, until it-isdesired to renew the coating; and which will be capable of indefinite re-use. l

The' invention may be carried out in various ways.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention in some of the forms in which we contemplate embodying the same.

Figure 1 is a viewof an artificial honeycomb constructed in accordance with this invention as applied with a double axis hinge. The parts are shown open and separated .from each other. -Fig. 2 is a fragmental cross-section .of the closed comb before coating. Fig.4 3 is a side elevation of one cellular leaf.' Fig. 4 is a fragmental `exaggerated cross-section of. a honeycomb constructed in accordance with this invention and readyfor use. Fig. 5 is an eleva- Iso tion of an art1cial honeycomb com rising two leaves fastened together at their ends by latches. Fig. 6 is an elevation of lone of such comb latched previously to cqating. Fig. 7 is a fragmental cross-section of a comb m which the separable leaves are provided with a mid-rib fixed to the ends of one of the cells. Fig. 8 is a fragmental exaggerated elevat-ion illustrating the cast form of construction of the honeycomb. Fig. 9 1s a fragmehtal exaggerated elevation of a honeycomb built up of bent strips fastened together.

In Figs. 1, 3 and 5 portions of the cellular structure are omitted for convenience of the draftsman.

The artificial honeycomb comprises twol cellular leaves 1, 2 thatl are duplicates. of each other and that may be separably fastened to each other by any suitable means. A detachable partition 3 between said leaves serves as the mid-rib of the comb.

InFig. 1 the two leaves are hinged together at one edge by a double hinge comprising an intermediate hinge leaf 4 and the pins 5; and are latched together at the other edge by a latch 6 pivoted at 7 to one leaf and engaging a pin 8 on the other leaf. The cellular leaves may be variously constructed. In some instances they may be formed of metal or other suitable material molded into the proper cellular struct-ure. Or they may be made of thin metal stri s 9 that are corrugated to form the sides o the cells and are brought together at their corrugations and joined in such a manner as to form the cellular structure having the cells transversely arranged. Said comb may be also provided with a border 10 formed of a thin strip of suitable material. The supporting lugsll may be formed of the same material as the borders. The cells of the cellular leaves thusV formed are preferably open at both ends and when it is desired to use the comb, two cellular leaves are applied against the opposite sides of the partition or mid-rib and the three members are then secured tvgether by any suitable meansas the hinge and latch shown. Then the comb is dipped in hot wax or other suitable material to 've the skeleton frame a coating a that wil be acceptable to the bees, and also to fill and Aseal .all the interstices, thus providing a structure corresponding to an empty honey- Patented Jan. 28, 1913.

comb, the ends of the cells on opposite sides of the comb being open and the inner ends of said cells being closed. Then the comb ma be placed in the hive and whenv filled 1.95

usual means, all that is necessary is to unfy`r latch the leaves and remove the central partit-ion, thus opening the inner end of the cells. The leaves mayI then be placed in the usual centrifugal separator` and the honey extracted in the usual Way, excepting, however, thatsince the leaves are each only provided Withfone set of cells, all of Which are open at one side of they leaf the leaves may be so placed in the extractory that one operation -Will remove allth'e honey, throughfthe open cell ends. v

In Fig. l the two leaves hinged together are shown as swung into open position, with the openings of all the cells on the same side of the comb.

When the extraction has been effected the former outside caps may be removed by any suitable means as anV alcoholA torch, a knife or a decapping machine, and` then the midrib may be again applied and the arts again fastened together as before.V I desired the leaves may be reversed without def capping the outer ends of the cells and said caps may be used as the mid-rib of the new comb, the leaves being fastened together as before. f

When it is desired to get rid of foul brood or other contagious diseases it will be desirable to melt off the coating, thus removing all diseased matter and the artificial skeleton comb may then be thoroughly sterilized by immersion in hot Water or by other antiseptic treatment.

".We claim al. A honeycomb composed ofA two leaves provided with transverse cells open at both ends, means for fastenin said leaves t0- gether with their sides ad] acent each other, anlcll means for closing the inner ends of the ce s.

2. A honeycomb composed `of two sepal-k v, rable leaves each lprovided with cells trans-Yi versely arranged,and means for separably holding said leaves together.

3. A honeycomb comprising separate cellular leaves separably secured together side by side.

4. A honeycomb comprising two cellular leaves hinged4 together at one edge, and means to fasten the other edges of the leaves together.

A honeycomb comprising two cellular leaves, an intermediate leaf, a hinge hinging the cellular leaves together, and means to 

